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Is Chiropractic Safe for Infants?
Chiropractic for babies is significantly different than the adjustments for adults. Infant adjustments are very gentle and soothing to babies. Most chiropractors will use a light fingertip pressure on the baby’s neck or back to adjust the babies spine.
An infants spine is not boney. Their spines are soft and cartilaginous, this is why it is possible for chiropractors to have an effect while using little pressure.
Research has been reviewed to determine the number of adverse events that have occurred. Over 110 years of pediatric chiropractic research, 9 serious adverse events occurred and 5 moderate/mild events. This is over 110 years and MILLIONS of adjustments.
Let’s talk about relative risk. This is a direct quote from the research I’m referencing:
One of the most common reasons parents bring their children to the chiropractor is for management of chronic ear infections. The other common treatment for ear infections, of course, is antibiotics. In a 2009 review of pediatric adverse drug events in the outpatient setting, Bourgeois et al. found that an average of more than 585,000 pediatric adverse drug events requiring medical attention occur each year; by far the most common culprits in these cases, at 27.5 percent, were antimicrobial agents.
Another way to know that pediatric chiropractic (and chiropractic in general) is very safe is to look into liability insurance. Chiropractors have the lowest malpractice rates of all primary health care providers in the country, and those rates are based on risk.
My third and final point; our technique used at Revival is incredibly gentle. In fact, many babies fall asleep during their adjustments because they are so soothing.
Here’s the research I’m referencing:
https://www.acatoday.org/News-Publications/ACA-News-Archive/ArtMID/5721/ArticleID/165
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/6/1265
Why would your baby benefit from chiropractic?
Imagine laying in one position for two months straight. How would you feel once you were free to move again? This is what it’s like as newborn. Around 32 weeks, it is expected that babies will go into a head down position and remain there until birth (typically around 40 weeks).
Add on top of that the stress of delivery on a babies body. Contractions are painful for the women who are birthing. They also take a toll on babies body as they are being pushed through the birth canal.
The above mentioned causes a lot of tension within the body and spine. Tension in certain areas can affect the function of babies body. Tension overall can lead to an uncomfortable and unsettled baby. Getting them adjusted often provides relief of this tension and relief of symptoms and signs.
Babies often find relief from: colic, reflux, gas, constipation, ear infections, constant colds, issues with breastfeeding, torticollis, and plagiocephaly (flat head). However, as chiropractors we are not treating this issues specifically. We are relieving tension from the nervous system. When we do this, the body is able to function with more ease and it often results in baby being relieved from these types of symptoms.
How do I know when it’s time to bring my baby in?
If you suspect that your baby was in position for birth at 32 weeks, it’s safe to assume your baby has tension built up in their body. They would benefit from having that tension relieved.
If your birth was stressful in any way, it’s a great idea to have your baby checked.
If there were any interventions such as pitocin, c-section, vacuum or forceps used in your birth, it’s a great idea to have your baby checked.
If your baby is exhibiting symptoms and signs of any kind, it’s a great idea to have you baby checked.
If you aren’t sure about these things but just want to have your baby checked, there is no harm in doing so.
Notice how I keep saying; get your baby CHECKED? This means that you can bring them in to see if they need an adjustment. Not all babies do! We do very thorough examinations to determine if we can help infants and children with symptoms and signs they are experiencing. If we don’t think we can help you, we’re not going to lead you on. We will help you find someone that can. Parents can find great peace of mind by bringing their child in to get them checked. Either your baby won’t need an adjustment in which you can feel confidence knowing that their nervous system is growing and developing beautifully. Or, they will need an adjustment and we can help you.
What if I DON’T get my baby checked? Our bodies are brilliant and can adapt. However, if their bodies are adapting to something then they aren’t functioning optimally. They are spending extra energy to try and figure out how to work around something that is interfering with normal function. This is energy that should be spent on growth and development.
WIth all of that said; trust you Mom or Dad gut! You know if something is off with your babe. We will never question your reasoning for getting your children checked.
What do we look for?
When we are in the process of determining if a child can benefit from care in our office, we look for a few things.
- We listen to your story, the whoel story. How was Mom’s health prior to pregnancy? What was pregnancy like? How was labor? How has everything gone since then? This information gives us a great insight into what’s going on in your little ones body.
- Next we do an exam. When we examine a baby we are looking for asymmetry. Anything that seems different from left to right or top to bottom. Is the baby stiff like a board when you pick them up or are they floppy? What position do they hold themselves in? Is it the same position as when they were in utero? Do they prefer to have their head turned to the right or left?
- How are they behaving? Signs of discomfort such as grunting, straining or being fussy.
- How are they sleeping? Do they wake up every 45 minutes? Do they sleep too much?
- How are they nursing? How is their latch? Do they prefer one side over the other? Is it painful for Mom?
Finally, we use technology that is FDA approved that shows us what is going on in the nervous system. This technology measures the autonomic nervous system and shows us where the tension and problematic areas are in the body. The cool part about this technology from a parent perspective – you get to actually see what’s going on in there. We perform these scans frequently throughout care, as well. This provides further insight to be sure that your baby IS responding and benefiting from care and that we really are doing our job.
What does an adjustment on a baby look like?
(You’ll need to watch the video to see this part! Click here!)
Once we have determined that a child will benefit from care and their caretakers want to get started, the fun starts!
We’ve covered a lot of information with these 5 quetions. If you would like more information or to share your story, send us a message! We can be reached by message on Facebook or Instagram. Send us an email at welcome@revivalchiropracticmn.com or give us a call at 651-342-2453.
We look forward to connecting with you!